Railroad-car



(No Model.) 7 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.v L. P. FARMER.

RAILROAD GAR.

No. 432,265. Patented. July 15, 1890.

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L. P. FARMER- RAILROAED GAR.

No. 432,265. I Patented July 15, 1890.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-'Sheet 3.

L. P. FARMER. RAILROAD GAR.

No. 432,265. Patented July 15, 1890.

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NiTEn STATES PATENT Tries.

LESLIE P. FARMER, OF SOUTH ORANGE, NEIV JERSEY.

RAILROAD-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 432,265, dated July 15, 1890.

Application filed February 28, 1890. Serial No. 842,125. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LESLIE P. FARMER, of South Orange, Essex county, State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railroad-Cars, of which the following is a true and exact description, llQfGP- ence being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to the construction of railroad passenger-cars, and has for its object to improve the same and obviate some of the disadvantages incident to the mode of construction now generally adopted.

The leading novel feature of my improved car lies in the construction by which I am enabled to form the doorways for entering and leaving the car in the sides thereof and to combine with them steps leading up from the doorway to the door of the car, situated entirely within the car. This and the other novel feature of my improved car will be best understood as described in connection with the drawings in which they are illustrated, and those features which'I desire to protect by Letters Patent are hereinafter clearly set forth in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved car, partly broken away, so as to show both the center and the ends of the car in the same view. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the car on the linexoc'of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken on the line The half of the car is shown in this view, the other half being, of course, exactly similar. Fig. 4; is a perspective view of a portion of the inside of the car, showing certain of the appliances which I prefer to use in connection wit-h the side entrances. Figs. 5 and 6 are, respectively, a plan and edge view of a yoke-rail used in connection with my device. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the U-shaped braces used by me to connect the ends of the intermitted longitudinal sills. Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the interinitted longitudinal sills and the U-shaped braces attached to them. Fig. 9 is an elevation snowing the end sill of the car and the wheels for actuating the brake and the uncoupling device. Fig. 10 is a side elevation showing how the uncoupling-wheel can be secured inside of the car and the connections made therefrom, and Fig. 11 is a plan view showing the relative arrangement of the brake-wheel and uncoupling-wheel and their connections with respect to the car.

A is the car, the platform-base of which has the usual longitudinal sills B B B &c.,

extending throughout its length. I have designated the extreme edge sill by the letter B and the one immediately adjacent to it by the letter B, the central sills being designated by the letter B Instead of continuing the sills B a-ndB on the same level throughout the length of the platform, I intermit them or make them in two parts, as shown, connecting their ends by means of U-shaped braces O C or 0'. These braces are placed at the point in the length of the, carat which it is desired to form a side entrance or doorway, such a doorway being designated by the letter D. The breadth of the U-shaped braces O, which connect the intermitted parts of the edge sill B, ispreferably made substantially equal to twice the breadth of the desired doorway, and the ends of the connected parts of sill B are cut away, as is shown at b b, so as to permit sliding doors E E to be pushed back' beyond the sides of the doorway which they close. The brace 0 need have no greater breadth than that of the desired doorway or passage leading from it. To the bottoms of the braces G and O, I secure angle-irons F to afford a'bettersupport for the door-posts and other appliances which are secured to thehangcrs. The doors E preferably run upon wheels or rollerse, (see Fig. 1,) secured to'or above the angle irons F. Leading up from the bottom of the brace C and over the brace C are steps G, running to the surface or floor of the car-platform, the floor being designated bythe letter H. Preferably the doorways and steps in the form should not be greater than the distance between the top of one set of steps and the side of the car upon the opposite side. I believe it will be found most convenient to make the platforms of this length, though they will serve the purpose for which I intend them if they are only broad enough to cover one of the sets of steps. The use of this platform is to cover over and close one set of steps whenever the other opposite set is uncovered, thus at the same time preventing passengers from going down the wrong steps, and also forming a floor over the steps not in use, so that the passengers will not fall or be pushed down them, and also to permit passengers to occupy said platform, enabling them to pass quickly down the steps when the train has reached a station. It is readily pushed from one side or the other, so as to open the steps on either side of the car that may be desired.

1 I are panels extending up into the carbody alongside of the steps, preferably to the height of the back of the seats in the car. Across the ends of these panels it is desirable to secure a removable rail,whieh can be adjusted in place when the car is in motion, in order to close the entrance to the steps. As shown in the drawings, a yoke L is pivoted at Z Z to slotted links P, which are socured to the sides of the car or to the sides of the panels I by pins l \Vhen it is desired to close the steps, the yoke is turned upon its pivots to the position indicated in Fig. at and in dotted lines in Figs. 3 and 2. The portions Z then extend across the top of the steps, forming a hand-rail and effectually preventing any one from slipping down them. The yoke is readily thrown up and is retained by a catch l", (see Fig. 3,) the slotted links Z permitting it to rise, so that it really hangs upon the said hook or catch Z".

I I are hand-rails secured to the panels I, and d (I rails secured on the outside of the doorway for the convenience of passengers in entering.

In cars having side entrances such as above described the ordinary end platforms upon the outside of the cars can be entirely dispensed with, a projecting end sill or narrow platform, such as Q, being amply sufficient for all the uses to which such a platform will, in the new construction of cars, be put to.

The brake-wheel and coupling-unlatching devices may, if desired, be secured upon the outside of the car; but I prefer to place them on the inside and at the ends of the car, as shown in the drawings, in which S indicates the brake-wheel, and T a wheel which actuates mechanism for unlatching the coupling devices by which the cars are united. The closets O and 0, used to inclose the heater and for other purposes, are situated, as usual, in the ends of the car, and doors N are also provided in the ends to enable the train-men or passengers to pass from car to car. As these doors, however, will be but little used, I divide the ends of the car containing the closets and the wheels S and T from the main body thereof by doors P P and by the walls of the closets.

The connections made from the wheels S and '1 are illustrated in Figs. 9, 10, and 11.. The brake-connection is made direct from the shaft of wheel S by means of a chain 3. The connection from wheel T is made by means of a chain t, secured to its shaft and passing down through the floor of the car to connect with a bell-crank lever t. From this lever a chain 15 passing over a pulley connects with the latch t, such as is used for latching and unlatching couplers of the vertical plane type. Another chain i also connects with bell-crank lever 15, and has a hook at its end by which it can be connected with a ing 6' on a Miller coupler. lVhen this chain is not in use, it can be connected to an eyebolt 25 as shown in Fig. 9.

R R, &c., are elastic gates, one of which is hinged at 0" to each end of the car and upon opposite sides thereof, all the cars being similarly equipped, so that when two abut together, as is indicated at the right of Figs. 1 and 2, a gate R will extend between two cars on each side of the narrow platform. Catches r are provided on the opposite sides of the car to those at Which the gates are hinged to engage the free end of the gate. The passage between the cars is thus railed on both sides.

U U are hoods or curtains supported on pivoted levers, as shown, and which overlap each other when two cars are coupled, so as to form a covered way between the two cars.

V, Fig. 1, indicates one of the lamps which light the inside of the car. It is desirable that one should be placed between the steps, as indicated in Fig. 1, so as to throw its light directly down the same.

Among the advantages incident to my new form of railroad-car may be noted the fact that the steps for entering and leaving the car can extend lower down and at the same time rise more easily and gradually than the steps used with the end platforms. The steps and doorway may also be made considerably wider than the steps and platform at the end of the car. For both of these reasons, and also by reason of the situation of the steps within the car, the passengers can enter and leave the same much more rapidly than in the present usual construction. It is very advantageous also to have the steps completely inclosed in theear, as they are thus kept dryand clean, and the passengers step directly from the inside of the car to the station-platform. Myeonstruction also avoids the objectionable drafts incident to opening the end doors 0 pproaching stations. The steps are also lighted and without requiring any itflt l T Lona lighting devices besides those used to i 'i the car. The car is also made larger n then 4 any increase in the length of its pie. form. The nocessity or desirability of a vtmtihuie between two cars is obviated, as by my construction the car-bodies come so clos t l r that the them from the end of the car, as is now the case.

Another important advantage incident to the construction shown is that passengers are compelled to leave and enter the car on the station or platform side, and also that it is made impossible for passengers to get upon the car when the doors are closed.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A railway-car having its central longitudinal sills continuous and its outer longitudinal sills made in two parts connected by downwardly extending U- shaped braces, doorways formed in the sides of the car over said braces, and steps situated over said braces and leading up inside the car to its continuous central passage, substantially as specified.

2. A railway-car having its central longitudinal sills continuous, its extreme outer longitudinal sills made in two parts with an openin g between them substantially equal to twice the breadth of the doorway, and one or more adjacent sills also severed, as described, U- shaped downwardlyextending braces connecting the severed sills, a doorway leading into the car over the outer braces, sliding doors arranged to close said doorway and to slide back over the outer brace, and steps leading from said doorway over the braces to the continuous central passage of the car, all substantially as specified.

3. In combination with a railway-car having opposite side entrances and steps leading up inside the car, as described, tracks extendin g across from entrance to entrance slightly below the level of the car-floor, and a sliding platform supported on said tracks and of suflicient length to cover one set of steps when pushed over to uncover the opposite sets.

4. In combination with a railway-car having opposite side entrances and steps leading up inside the car, as described, side panels extending up into the body of the car alongside the steps, and a removable rail or its equivalent adjustable across the panels at the top of said steps, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. In combination with a railway-car having opposite side entrances and steps leading up inside the ear, as described, side panels extending up into the body of the car alongside the steps, and a yoke-rail pivoted near the door and adapted to extend across the panels at the top of the steps when lowered, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

LESLIE P. FARMER.

Witnesses:

COLIN E. KING, GEO. DE HAVEN. 

